“First person shooter” games are defined as a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective. An example of a “first person shooter” game can be seen in FIG. 1. A “first person shooter” presents an experience to the player that he/she is actually in the game environment. What a player can see on the television screen is what the player would theoretically be seeing if the player was actually in the game environment. Most games in this genre are based on combat. Since these games are presented in a first person perspective, and these games are based on combat, what a player would see on the television screen is the weapon 4 the player is wielding (creating the illusion that the player him/herself is holding the weapon 4), the environment that the player is theoretically in (giving the player the illusion that the player him/herself is actually in the environment), targets 2 and the reticule 6.
A reticule (also spelled reticle) is what allows the player to target enemies and objects in the game environment. A reticule is generally represented as a small (in relation to the size of the television screen) cross or circle positioned on the television screen to the left of the weapon. The reticule represents where the weapon is pointed. The player can manipulate where the reticule is (in the game environment) with the handheld game controller, giving the player the illusion that he/she is aiming the weapon. Generally, when the reticule overlaps an enemy (in the game environment), the reticule will change color, indicating to the player that his/her weapon is pointed directly at an enemy. The game controller is typically equipped with a trigger, giving the player the illusion that he/she can aim the weapon, and when the reticule changes color, the player can pull the trigger, theoretically shooting the target, and earn points in the game. The size of the reticule can change based on the kind of weapon the player is wielding. Generally, the size of the reticule will change depending on the precision of the weapon. For example, if the player is wielding a sniper rifle, since it is a high precision weapon, the reticule will be very small (in relation to the size of the television screen). If the player is wielding a low precision weapon, such as a shotgun, the reticule will be quite large (in relation to the size of the television screen). The reticule will be a primary focus of this description.
A common issue that most first person shooter players have when playing, is not being able to acquire the target as fast as the player would like in order to make a “kill” and achieve the highest score possible. It is difficult for most players to quickly move the reticule onto the target and keep the reticule on the target. Especially in combat games, like a first person shooter game, players want to be able to shoot the enemy faster than the enemy can shoot the player, so the ability to acquire the target quickly is essential to success in a first person shooter game. Players will attempt to move the reticule on to the target, and inadvertently, will either move the reticule past the target, won't move the reticule all the way to the target, or will lose sight of the reticule because something in the game environment is the same color as the reticule, so the reticule will blend in with the game environment. These kind of target acquisition problems are known as “target jitters”. Target jitters occur because the reticule is so small (in relation to the entire television screen), that the player has to focus intently on the reticule, making it difficult to find the targets in the game environment. Players find it difficult to acquire targets while having to focus intently on the reticule, because most players do not have adequate peripheral vision to do both at the same time. Target jitters is a common problem, particularly with players who are beginners.
Another issue most players encounter when playing is that at times, the reticule will disappear from the players view during game play. As stated earlier, the reticule will at times blend in with the game environment. This will happen when the color of the reticule matches the color of something in the game environment. For example, if the reticule is blue, and the player is targeting something in the sky, since the sky is also blue, the reticule will seem to disappear, and the player will not be able to see where the weapon is pointed. There is another circumstance in which the reticule will disappear. The reticule represents where the weapon is pointed, and when the player is running in the game environment, the weapon is no longer being pointed, and therefore, the reticule is no longer in view. When the player stops running, and is now able to point the weapon, players have difficulty focusing back on the reticule when it re-appears.
At this time, there is not a prior art that completely addresses target jittering, or the issue of the reticule disappearing in the game environment. One prior system in the industry is called No Scope. No Scope is a clear, plastic decal that a player places right over the top of the reticule on the television screen. The No Scope, designed to look like scope crosshairs, is an estimated 4 times the size of the reticule. In most first person shooter games, players are given the ability to “zoom in” when wielding a high precision weapon, such as a sniper rifle. If a player is wielding a sniper rifle, the player can touch a button on the game controller, allowing the player to “zoom in” on a target from a considerable distance. When the player “zooms in”, the game will simulate what a first person view would look like if the player was actually looking through a rifle scope. The player would see a magnified view of the target, but would not be able to see anything else in the game environment. As stated earlier, when the player is wielding a high precision weapon, the reticule is very small (in relation to the television screen). The smaller the reticule is, the more difficult it is for the player to aim the weapon at targets. A sniper rifle is designed to engage the enemy at a great distance. A sniper rifle is not designed for combat in close quarters. In a first person shooter game, it is difficult for players to shoot a sniper rifle accurately without “zooming in”, because of how small the reticule is with a high precision weapon. No Scope allows the player to shoot more accurately without “zooming in”, because the crosshair like decal is placed over the reticule, affectively making the small reticule much larger. No Scope does not address the issue of target jittering, or the issue of the reticule blending in with the game environment. While No Scope does make the small reticule larger, allowing the player to shoot more accurately without “zooming in”, the player still has to focus on a small portion of the screen, leaving the rest of the game environment to be viewed with the players peripheral vision, making it difficult for the player to acquire other targets in the game environment. Since No Scope is a decal placed over the reticule, when the reticule disappears, there is still a reference where the reticule would be. However, the shape and design of No Scope is not the same shape and design as the reticule. With No Scope, the player has to constantly adapt between the shape of the reticule (when it disappears), and the shape of the No Scope.